Professor O’Hara A Worthy Winner of the 2016 Silvicultural Prize

The Institute of Chartered Foresters is delighted to have awarded Kevin O’Hara, Professor of Silviculture at the University of California, Berkeley, the 2016 Percy Stubbs, John Bolton King and Edward Garfitt Prize for Silviculture - for advancing our knowledge of silviculture.

Professor O’Hara has received this prestigious award in recognition of his paper entitled: What is close-to-nature silviculture in a changing world?, published in Forestry, volume 89(1): 1-6 – ICF’s respected international journal of forestry research, produced by Oxford University Press. The Editors believe this is an outstanding paper which demonstrates our knowledge of the subject. The paper is a model of clarity and has provided a real challenge to the policy and practice of silviculture.

On hearing the news, Professor O’Hara said:

"I'm very pleased and honoured to receive the 2016 Silvicultural Prize from the Institute of Chartered Foresters. I'm also gratified that the journal Forestry gave me the opportunity to present the science to challenge the status quo regarding emulating nature with silviculture."

Dr. Gary Kerr, Editor-in-Chief of Forestry, commented:

“Kevin’s paper is an important contribution because it challenges the doctrine of ‘close-to-nature’ silviculture and presents a vision for how silviculture can respond to the changes man has made to the natural environment.”

2016 Silvicultural Prize-winning paper is available to read in full on the Forestry website.